Piriápolis

Piriapolis - Photos : Pablo Etchevers

ocated in the Department of Maldonado, only one hour away by car from the City of Montevideo, Piriápolis was the first swimming-resort in Uruguay. This beautiful city, built during the Belle epoque, unveils vestiges of an unprecedented economic zenith whose maximum expression is the Gran Hotel Argentino.

Today, Piriápolis offers a large number of hotels and has an active nightlife during the summertime. However, there are also those who choose to visit this place during the fall and the spring, and also in the winter.

Lying 60 kilometers from Atlántida, 130 kilometers from La Paloma and only 35 kilometers from Punta del Este, the City of Piriápolis revolves around Los Argentinos Promenade and the waterfront avenue known as Costanera Francisco Piria, named after its founder and one of the most distinguished citizens.

Its beaches occupy a 25-kilometer strip along the coast, from the Solís Creeks up to the Punta Negra milestone. All of them feature white sandy beaches and clear waters and welcome an infinite number of Uruguayan, Argentinian and European tourists every summer who come along to see this paradise.

The San Antonio Chapel is one of the attractions visitors should not miss during their stay in Piriápolis. It displays a wonderful sight and it may be reached by the chairlifts starting at the port or by car following a road that goes up to the top of the hill and offers unique panoramic views of the city, indelible at night.

Piriápolis offers sports lovers the possibility of climbing the highest mountain in Uruguay: the Sugar Loaf, which stands 10 kilometers away from the bathing resort and offers a unique microclimate.

For lovers of sport fishing, the local port and its piers, as well as several fishing spots as Punta Fría (Cold Point), Punta Colorada (Red Point) and Punta Negra (Black Point), are ideal to catch croakers and silversides, as these are rock formations that become excellent fisheries when the tide is high.

All these attractions, as well as the excellent and varied gastronomical offer treasured by the city and made up both by meat and seafood, Piriápolis is one of the cities visitors should not miss during their vacations.